Aberlour 1990
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 8 On this occasion the vintage bottling had the most typical Aberlour character, especially in its spiciness. I also enjoyed its liveliness and complexity. The best Aberlour on the day.

Adelphi Balmenach 1990, 11 Years Old, Cask 507
Single Malt - Scotland - 59.70% 8 Can whiskies be handsome and romantic? This is a seductive bottling.

Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist 1990 16 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 8 A welcome addition to the range.

Auchentoshan 1990 16 Years Old Bourbon Matured
Single Malt - Scotland - 53.70% 7 Draff mixed with whipped cream? It's a Glaswegian cranachan.

Berry's Own Selection Longmorn 1990
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 7 A perfectly pretty dram but it is almost too light. Even delicate whiskies need backbone.

Berry's Own Selection Rosebank 1990
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 7 A teasing early freshness is the overture to a richer, modestly structured, conclusion.

Berry's Own Selection Rosebank 1990
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 8 Cute as a button.

Blackadder Caol Ila 1990
Single Malt - Scotland - 58.50% 8 Light in the middle, and delicate throughout, but lovely Islay flavours.

Bowmore 1990, 16 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 58.50% 7 Water smooths it down, but the rugged edge is what makes this a winner.

Cadenhead's Littlemill 1990, 11 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 60.60% 7 Littlemill has never been a favourite with critics – or blenders – but I have always thought it a good example of a Lowland malt.

Celtique Connexion Cadillac Wood Finish 1990
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 8 A whispering dram. Nothing wrong with that. You've just got to tune in to its delicacy. The character is full and complex. Dangerously enticing especially with a dash of water.

Celtique Connexion Sauternes, 16 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00%

Celtique Connexion Speyside 1990, Vin de Paille du Jura Wood Finish
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 8 I am totally seduced by its eccentricity and intensity. Where's the whisky? who cares? Pour me another. Bring on the chicken mole.....

Chieftain's Choice Caol Ila 1990
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 8 The more Caol Ila makes itself available the more I seem to enjoy it.

Chieftain's Choice Glenturret 1990, 12 Years Old, Port Finish
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 7 Refreshing, appetising.

Coconut Cream Speyside 1990
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 7 Light, but a good aperitif. Have it with ice.

Connoisseur's Choice Ardbeg 1990
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 8 The palate seemed almost disappointingly cosy, but the wildness of Islay was recalled in the finish.

Cooper's Choice Caol Ila 1990, 14 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 7 A middleweight Islay malt.

Cooper's Choice Clynelish 1990, 12 Years Old, Port Finish
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 7 Not one of the peaty vintages, and would have benefited from some other element to lift the creaminess.

Cooper's Choice Mortlach 1990 16 Years Old, Sherry Cask
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 8 Yup, it's Mortlach alright. Every bit as good as the OB.

Cooper's Choice Mortlach 1990, Sherry Cask
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 8 Delicious, especially if you have a sweet tooth.

Dewar Rattray Auchentoshan 1990, 13 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 60.00% 7 I would never have identified this as an Auchentoshan. Proves 'the Glasgow malt' has plenty of character, but this expression lacks subtlety.

Dewar Rattray Aultmore 16 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 57.90% 8 It's not my preferred style of whisky, but this has real class and excellent balance.

Dewar Rattray Balblair 1990
Single Malt - Scotland - 62.90% 7 The strength is a bit aggressive. And oak is not well-integrated. Tastes like a too young fellow.

Dewar Rattray Balblair 1990 15 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 62.90% 7 The nose is more attractive than the palate, rather restrained.

Dewar Rattray Bowmore 1990, 15 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 55.70% 8 Straightforward and uncompromising. Very good balance. The classic Islay outdoor dram for simple enjoyment.

Dewar Rattray Bowmore 1990, 16 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 54.00% 8 Has richness and some finesse.

Dewar Rattray Glen Garioch
Single Malt - Scotland - 52.50% 7 A quirky little number. Well worth a look.

Dewar Rattray Longmorn 1990 14 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 55.30% 7 I loved the aroma. After that the stern, impenetrable palate was frustrating but in keeping with the mood. A good, old-fashioned Speysider.

Dimensions Strathmill 1990
Single Malt - Scotland - 55.00% 7 A very dry dram, with some interesting fruity moments.

Douglas Laing Benrinnes 1990 14 Years Old, Single Cask Sherry Finish
Single Malt - Scotland - 50.00% 7 Beautifully full flavoured whisky. Manages to be both elegant and robustly expressive. Very appetising.

Douglas Laing Highland Park 16 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 50.00% 8 For the end of the evening. Of considerable complexity and will require several attempts before it's cracked. Not for everyone.

Evan Williams 1990 (Bottled 1999)
Bourbon - U.S.A. - 43.30% Improved with water. Restrained again with an edgier character than the 89.

Evan Williams 1990, Single Barrel
Bourbon - U.S.A. - 43.30% 8 Very different in style. Liqueur-ish.

Glendronach Parliament 21 Years Old 1990
Single Malt - Scotland - 48.00% 8 A well balanced sherried whisky. Rich, complex with a beautiful finish.

Glenkinchie 1990 20 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 55.10% 8 Impressive..

Gordon & MacPhail Ardmore 1990
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 7 A pleasant dram, especially with a splash of water but lacks nerve and buoyancy.

Gordon & MacPhail Ardmore 1990 Cask Strength
Single Malt - Scotland - 55.80% 7 Starts slowly, and seems uncertain as to where it is going.

Gordon & MacPhail Ardmore 1990, Cask Strength
Single Malt - Scotland - 55.80% 7 A hidden complexity on the palate. A malt to give you a tender kick on “one of those days, you know…”

Gordon & MacPhail Caol Ila 1990
Single Malt - Scotland - 58.20% 8 Very decent example of Caol Ila, nothing jars here.

Gordon & MacPhail Glentauchers 1990
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 6 Sherry influence calls the tune. Water calms the flavours down.

Gordon & MacPhail Inverleven 1990, 40 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 0.00% 7 The nose is appealing but the palate far tougher. Water eases the release of grassy notes. But the aromatic profile keeps shallow.

Gordon & MacPhail Old Pulteney 1990
Single Malt - Scotland - 59.40% 7 The hug of sherry is soporific; the saltiness a stinging reviver. A morning run in Wick; a gale in John O'Groats.

Gordon & MacPhail Old Pulteney 1990 Cask Strength
Single Malt - Scotland - 58.80% 7 So sherry… Dark Oloroso wipes out all maltiness. Unbalanced but sherry fanatics will love it.

Highland Park 1990
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 8 Strangely similar to a golden rum - albeit a smoky one.

Ichiro's Malt 1990 Queen of Hearts
Single Malt - Japan - 54.00% 7 A well balanced and refreshing dram. Try it with raw fish and ginger in vinegar.

Ichiro's Malt Ten of Clubs 1990 19 Years Old
Single Malt - Japan - 52.40% 7 It has balance but needs to be approached with cautious respect.

Inverleven 17 Years Old
- Scotland - 40.00% 8 My summer drink already and it's barely spring.

James MacArthur Glentauchers 1990, 13 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 59.20% 7 Pleasant fruitiness on the nose but the palate is somewhat dour and one dimensional.

Kingsbury Clynelish 1990, Amontillado sherry cask
Single Malt - Scotland - 0.00% 8 That distinctive pine-nut character perhaps derives from the Amontillado sherry, but its influence is otherwise restrained.

Knockando 1990
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 6 Too mild to hold its own against the wood.

Lombard Mortlach 1990
Single Malt - Scotland - 50.00% 6 Extraordinarily pale colour. The floweriness was perhaps a hint at Mortlach but, if I were served this out of context, would I recognise it as whisky? I might guess at aquavit rather than usquebaugh.

Master of Malt Glen Garioch 1990 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 48.80% 8 Approaching its twilight years, but still with a definite spring in its step. Very nicely balanced indeed.

Miyagikyo 1990 19 Years Old
Single Malt - Japan - 61.00% 7 Funny enough,that strong dram is better neat. But give it time.

Miyagikyo Single Cask Sendai, 1990
Single Malt - Japan - 60.60% 7 The orangey colour suggests some sherry. Nikka's Sendai distillery has in this instance produced a nuttier, maltier style of whisky than Yoichi.

Montgomerie's Rosebank
- Scotland - 46.00% 7 Another which shows that light doesn't mean insubstantial.

Murray McDavid Rosebank 1990
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 6 Rosebank is a delicate whisky, but just a touch more wood-extract would hold together its flavours.

Murray McDavid Rosebank 1990, Sherry Cask
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 8 The flowery youth of the whisky and the freshness of the sherry cask achieve an interesting harmony.

Old Malt Cask Tactical 1990 16 Years old
Single Malt - Scotland - 50.00% 6 Very thin. Not delivering much. Like a watercolour faded by sun exposure.

Old Masters Glentauchers 1990 14 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 58.80% 7 Serve as an aperitif. Chilled?

Private Collection Caol Ila 1990 Demerara Rum Finish
Single Malt - Scotland - 45.00% 7 A bit puzzling at start. Seems somewhat austere and restrained. Then releases sweet notes. Is it an effect of the rum finish?

Private Collection Caol Ila 1990 Port Wood Finish
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 8 No contest, the Inner Hebrides quickly overwhelms the Duoro.

Private Collection Caol Ila 1990 Vintage Rum Finish
Single Malt - Scotland - 45.00% 7 Hang on! Is that a single malt with a rum finish or a good rum matured in a bourbon cask? An exemplary phagocytosis or a magical trick. But we wanted whisky!

Private Collection Imperial 1990 Calvados Finish
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 6 As with the Caol Ila wood finishes reviewed in the last issue, the calvados is a powerful influence but the whisky does fight back-makes for an interesting combination.

Private Collection Imperial 1990 Claret Finish
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 8 The wine seems to have made common cause with the juicy sweetness, and the two have overwhelmed the cereal-grain and peat smoke that usually make this a more robust malt. This version would be a good ...

Private Collection Imperial 1990 Cognac Finish
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 8 Cognac finishes seem to have achieved results that are, at best, mixed. In this instance, the contribution is less than obvious.

Private Collection Imperial 1990 Sherry Finish
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 The flavours hang together better in this version, and I favour it over the port finish, but by too narrow a margin to score.

Signatory Ardmore 1990
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 8 Robust as ever, but much more peatiness than I associate with this distillery. Oaky, too, for a relatively young whisky.

Signatory The Glenrothes 1990
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 7 An elegant and luxurious malt. Glenrothes. This is an elegant and luxurious interpretation of it.

Wemyss Vintage Malts BBQ Sauce 1990 19 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 55.00% 7 A perfectly pleasant potation.

Wemyss Vintage Malts Mocha Spice 21 Years Old, 1990
Blended Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 8 Good palate whisky, but keep the water on the side.

Wilson & Morgan Longmorn 1990 Marsala Finish
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 7 This highly respected whisky lives a blamelessly quiet life near Elgin. One little drink of Marsala and the Lossie goes all Mediterranean.

Wilson & Morgan The Macallan 1990, Marsala Finish
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 7 The estery Macallan notes are as brassy as the Basie band on top form.

Yamazaki 1990 Sherry Butt
Single Malt - Japan - 61.00% 7 For the big sherried lovers.

Yoichi Single Cask, 1990
Single Malt - Japan - 61.50% 7 A big whisky, with some of the smokiness I remember.